Pennsylvania is implementing a permanent Work Zone Speed Safety Camera program across its highways, officials announced Tuesday.
Led by PennDOT, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, and the Pennsylvania State Police, marks a new chapter in the state’s efforts to protect road workers and motorists.
Building on the success of the Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement pilot program started in 2018, the new legislation received bipartisan support and was recently signed into law by Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro.
State officials have said the program is designed to curb speeding in construction zones.
A feature of the new law is the introduction of a 15-day warning period that starts from the mail date of the first violation. The measure is designed to provide motorists with sufficient time to adjust their driving behavior before receiving a second violation.
Once the grace period expires, drivers may face multiple violations if they continue to speed through work zones.
The law also resets the slate for all motorists, giving everyone a fresh start with a first violation notice under the new system, regardless of previous offenses recorded during the pilot program.
However, violations issued through the pilot program before February 15 will still be pursued.
Statistics from the pilot program showed a 38 percent decrease in work zone speeding, a 47 percent reduction in excessive speeding (11 mph or more over the speed limit), and up to a 50 percent decline in work zone crashes when speed enforcement vehicles were on site.
For offenders, the program stipulates a progression of civil penalties starting with a warning letter for the first offense, followed by a $75 fine for the second offense, and escalating to a $150 fine for the third and subsequent offenses.
The violations will not affect the driver’s license points.
The program employs vehicle-mounted systems that use electronic speed timing devices to identify and document drivers exceeding work zone speed limits by more than 11 mph, but only when workers are present, state officials said.
“Data from the pilot program shows it was successful, and we’re pleased that it’s now a permanent program in Pennsylvania,” said PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll.
“Many injuries and fatalities in work zones can be prevented if drivers simply slow down, and that’s the goal of this program,” said Pennsylvania State Police Director of the Bureau of Patrol Major Robert Krol. “The cameras have been effective in making our work zones safer, and we look forward to seeing additional results from the program’s full-time implementation.”
Since 1970, PennDOT lost 90 workers in the line of duty.
